User blog:Richard Kroshbon/Imperial Instrument of Government
28 March 1754 Hofburg Palace, Vienna '' '' In this interest of the continued stability, security, and health of the Holy Roman Empire and the well-being of its citizens; I, Richard Kroshbon, Prince-Consort to the Austrian Empress Hannah Maria Theresa Clemente, Prince of Switzerland, and Grand Duke of Tuscany hereby enact the following laws and instruments of government and promulugate them into immediate effect. I do also, with the support of the Imperial Diet, hereby name myself Chancellor to the Holy Roman Empire, and Keeper of the Great Seal of the Holy Roman Emperor. Instrument of Government Preface We, the sovereign Austrian people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution. Edict I: Imperial Government The Head of State shall remain the sovereign Monarch of the realms of Austria. The Chancellor is the Head of Government, responsible for ensuring that the Sovereign’s will and agenda is executed properly by the government. The Chancellor is the Keeper of the Sovereign’s Seal, and granted executive authority and the right to speak in the Sovereign’s name. The Chancellor chairs the Council of Ministers, and when the Sovereign is present, acts as their top adviser and strategist, also fulfilling out their wishes and duties they have tasked to their government. The Chancellor shall select from amongst the Lords of the realm to the great Offices of State. The Council of Ministers is full of the Sovereign’s top advisers and government officials. They are charged with fulfilling the Sovereign’s duties and wishes as they direct. Membership to a Ministerial position requires being appointed by the Chief Minister. Their duties include affairs revolving the entirety of the nation, including Foreign, Internal, and Defense affairs. Edict II: Imperial Institutions The sovereign of Austria, by extension, also functions as the Holy Roman Emperor. The Holy Roman Empire, since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, granted nigh independence to almost all of its states, retaining ultimate sovereignty over Austria and its territories alone. It is a composite state comprised of territories that unite under one common sovereign, but are, in practice, out of the reach of the Sovereign of Austria’s laws. While the HRE foreign policy is derived from Vienna, internal affairs are not under the control of the Holy Roman Emperor, who only controls the Archduchy of Austria and its hereditary lands. The order of precedence within the Kingdom follows a strict and uncompromising statute. The order begins with the Sovereign, addressed as His/Her Imperial Majesty, followed by the consort, addressed as His/Her Imperial Highness, then by the remaining members of the Royal Family, addressed as His/Her Highness. Following the Royalty come the numerous honorary Princes, Dukes, Counts, and finally the Barons, then the clergy, and ending with the minor lords and nobles. The Imperial Diet is the legislative body of the Holy Roman Empire and theoretically superior to the Emperor himself. The Diet is comprised of all the nobles of the Empire, and has supreme power over the nation. The Imperial Diet had the powers to move to war, to raise the Imperial Army (Reichsarmee), impose new taxes, oust the Council of Ministers governing the nation, as well as oust the Head of Government, by which a 80% vote must pass. The Imperial Diet was the sole body with the delegated authority to unseat the Sovereign, being able to do so only with a unanimous vote. If the Sovereign was unseated, the throne would pass to their heir apparent, which the Imperial Diet would have to approve. If the Diet refused the heir, then it could formally vote on a new Sovereign, for the good of the realm. The Reichsarmee was comprised of the numerous states of the Holy Roman Empire. It was able to be called upon by the Sovereign to do its duty to the realm, however the Imperial Diet was able to counter this and refuse the Sovereign’s request to raise it. The Imperial Diet also held the authority to raise the Army, by which the Sovereign was unable to refuse. The Sovereign was in theory the Commander-in-Chief (Generalfeldmarshall) of the Imperial Army, but would most commonly delegate the role to a trusted advisor, usually the Head of Government or Minister of War, or, if the Sovereign was a female, their consort. Changes to the Imperial Government As Chancellor, it is my duty and responsibility to uphold the rule of law, and further the will of the Diet. As such, with the immediate effect the following changes are ratified by the Imperial Government of Austria. *Her Imperial Majesty, the Holy Roman Empress, shall take up official residence in Schönbrunn Palace. *The Imperial Government shall be headquartered in Hofburg Palace. *The position of Imperial Advior, held by esteemed general Johann Goldbauhölzer, is hereby removed from the Imperial order of presedence and from its seat on the Imperial Council of Ministers. *The official guild of the Imperial Austrian government shall henceforth be the Armed Guard. *Johann Goldbauhölzer, Duke of Modena and Reggio is relieved as Governor of the Duchy of Milan *My cousin, Lord Wolf Kroshbon, is named Minister of Interior *My daughter, Princess Cara Kroshbon, wrongfully ousted by the Empress, is named Foreign Minister. *I, in my capacity as Chancellor and Prince-Consort, and already bearing the title of Generalfeldmarshal of the Reicharmee, shall become Minister of War. *In order to ensure that these reforms are placed into effect, the Austrian monarchy herein enters into protectorate status with the Kingdom of the Swiss. This shall be reflected in the Treaty of Zürich (1749), signed five years ago. *As repayment for the generosity of our esteemed allies, the Imperial Government herein cedes the Duchy of Milan and Duchy of Mantua to the Kingdom of the Swiss, relinquishes our claims to the Vorlande, and returns the territories ceded to us through the Treaty of Mainau (1751). In the name of God, the most Holy, the most merciful, Category:Blog posts